Drink This Now: Espresso Con Panna

Would you like some coffee with your dessert? How about coffee as dessert? Here's a sweet little jolt next time both you and your sweet tooth need a little kick: Espresso con panna, or espresso with whipped cream.

If a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, just imagine how easily that already delicious little shot will slide down the ol' gullet with a dollop of silky whipped cream on top. Available in most specialty coffee shops (well, any place that has whipped cream available for hot chocolate or mochas) and also common on restaurant menus, a shot of strong coffee marked with a splat of decadent cream is one of my favorite go-to solution to the 4 pm "I just need a little something sweet" craving.

All you "serious" coffee people out there, don't scoff: This tiny treat is a perfect marriage of ingredients. The cream's sweetness plays nicely off the coffee's natural bitterness; the one-to-one ratio creates a balanced flavor, neither component overwhelming the other (especially if the cream is, at most, very lightly sweetened); and the sexy transition from the cold topping to the hot elixir underneath is a sensory delight.

But if you're hankering for a con panna, make sure you get the real deal: This is not a Reddi-wip situation, people. A beautiful, densely aromatic head of crema deserves some hand-whipped, unadulterated heavy cream—not some aerated chemical concoction that squirts out of a can.

You can make your own by mixing one cup of very cold heavy whipping cream, one-half to one tablespoon of powdered sugar, and a dash or two of vanilla extract—using either an electric mixer, a whisk and some elbow grease, or a chilled mason jar and some vigorously shaking—until the slurry starts to form neat, stiff peaks. It will keep in the fridge for a few days (though let's face it—you'll be drinking con pannas like they're going out of style, so it might not be around that long).

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About the Author

For over a decade, Meister has lived a double life as both a writer and a coffee professional—though she has yet to figure out which is her Dr. Jekyll side and which Mr. Hyde. Her day job is as a member of the customer support team for Counter Culture Coffee, and she has written and/or edited for The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Slashfood.com, Time Out NY, BUST Magazine, Barista Magazine, and Chickpea Magazine in addition to her work with this fine site. On her own, she blogs about cooking adventures (and misadventures) at The Nervous Cook, and about learning to love the long run at Running While Smiling.

She, her husband, and their dog share a too-small Chelsea apartment that's stuffed to the gills with books, vintage clothes, and a whole lot of tchotchkes.

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